Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The Cops Should Be Arrested!

In Singapore, for a S$30 parking fine, you may be issued a warrant of arrest, find youself handcuffed like a common criminal and put into a holding cell, to apply for a bail costing as much as $1000 from a judge via CCTV (security arrangement for his/her self protection from common criminals), and then only finally released to pay your fine at LTA - only to discover that all the inconvenience was due to LTA having had your postal address wrongly recorded in the first place.

Warrant for arrests are also routinely issued for selling $1 tissue papers without a hawker licence from NEA, littering, missing the dateline in settling Town Council bills. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) must really enjoy these type of work as they didn't bother to collect the $25 fee for each warrant of arrest enforced on behalf of the prosecuting agencies, mainly statutory boards and town councils. That's $648,000 in total revenue for the 12 years between 1997 and 2009. Some minister obviously sleeping on the job since 1997.

The Auditor-General, in his latest report for May 2010, also found that the SPF, for inexplicable reasoning, did not impose $242,000 in liquidated damages on two contractors defaulting on $2.6 million worth of contracts. The contractors' names were not disclosed to protect the identities of the innocent/guilty parties.

While they are quick on the draw to collect from the little men, the SPF was decidedly slow to return what's due. Remember all that bailout money? As of August 2009, the AG found 46 cases of unrefunded cash bail, amounting ot $440,450. These refunds were outstanding for periods ranging from 41 days to 1,694 days (or 4 1/2 years), far exceeding the published timeline of 15 to 23 working days. Tardiness which could earn a warrant of arrest.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said it was incompetency that allowed Mas Selamat to fly the coop. Guess they don't pay much attention to his critique nowadays.

Meanwhile Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng has commented on the Alan Shadrake case, at yesterday's MHA national day observation ceremony, even though the author's day in court is yet to come. Legal eagles please advise, is this sub-judice or a case of, if Shanmugan can get away with it, why not me?

5 comments:

The Singapore Police is good for catching petty and small perceived criminals, and formore serious crimes, they say they would only take action when a mass of complaints are brought up, as they are more messy and complicated to handle.Also, they have a new and more exciting focus on casino crimes, and as they are short on manpower, they concentrate their attention on the two IRs, leaving a huge shortage of officers to attend to the rest of the population. What a joke, as suddenly there is spike in very vicious crimes like attacks and murders by foreigners.Now you hardly see police on patrol, unlike Hongkong, where the Police patrol on foot round the roads in pairs. Thus the crime rate has spiked up tremendously here, we feel Singapore is no longer safe to walk on darker roads, the Police has suddenly become non-existent, has become faceless. Only see and meet them at their offices to pay petty trafficfines, which they gleefully acknowledge, they become very money faced, like the rest of Govtorganisations, easy job to collect money only.Low crime, my bloody foot.

May I implore Singaporeans to understand the Men In Blue, especially the junior officers who are in many ways no different from Other Ranks in the Military. These Officers belongs to Disciplinary Forces which means they can only act according to Police General Orders and Standard Operational Procedures, and instructions from their Seniors from time to time. Anyone acting on personal initiative may result in deviating from SOP, PGO and Adhoc Orders and Instructions. Much of these Regulations are to prevent abuses of power and authority.

Many Officers are deployed each time a case happened; even very minor accidents, one gets to see many Officers attending to it. This taxes much on the already short handed force as few are interested in joining the Police Force.

Police as a profession does not mean that Officers are not challenge by members of the public. In fact, many are faced with challenges other professions and vocations do not encounter or have a duty to take action.

Police Officers' main duties include dealing with criminals of petty crimes to heinous and very professional felonies on top of protecting live and properties everywhere all the time they are on duty. Their works may look easy but, it is not so. They face dangers more than other people though it is true that the more efficient and respectable they are, the less crime it will be.

Singaporeans who have family members, relatives or friends in the Police Force will know Police job is not a easy one though Officers seems not to be doing much.

One night I caught my husband crying. Another case he was recommending for a letter of warning was overturned by his boss who insisted on a charge in court. This inspector is well known for being "charge happy", not bothered by the scars that will be inflicted on the young lives involved. But who can we complain to?

Some of the younger junior ranks of police officers in Singapore are so immature. Once I saw them summoning a car parked illegally and the owner came running out and these 2 young cops in the police car were happily and gleefully riding away. It appears that police work is a "fun" too to see others being booked for an offence. Once I got stopped at a road block and the officer in a very rude and authoritarian tone said " ALL COME OUT OF THE CAR". So balantly rude and condesceding when it was just a routine stop and we were complying.

About Me

"There is nothing to prevent you from pushing your propaganda, to push your programme out either to the students or with the public at large... and if you can carry the ground, if you are right, you win. That's democracy. We're not preventing anybody" ~ Lee Kuan Yew, 31 January 2005